ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Dementia poses a significant public health challenge worldwide, necessitating a deeper understanding of its risk factors to inform preventive strategies. METHOD: This retrospective longitudinal study leveraged clinical data from a tertiary care database to investigate the risk factors associated with an incident dementia diagnosis. The study cohort comprised individuals aged 50 years and older. Key variables including age, income, comorbidities such as depressive disorder, osteoporosis, stroke, and metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes and hypertension were analyzed by using Cox regression analysis. RESULT: The study cohort included 127,016 adults 50 years and older. The results revealed that advancing age, with individuals aged 70-79 years having a hazard ratio (HR) of 3.9 (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.6-5.8), and those aged 80 years and above having an HR of 11.6 (95% CI, 7.7-17.3), lower income status (patients with no income or occupation had a notably higher risk of dementia diagnosis, with an HR of 2.0 (95% CI, 1.4-2.8)), depressive disorder (HR of 3.3 (95% CI, 3.3-3.7)), osteoporosis (HR of 1.2 (95% CI, 1.1-1.4)), and stroke (HR of 2.5 (95% CI, 2.3-2.7)) were significantly associated with an increased risk of incident dementia. However, no significant associations were observed for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or underweight status managed in tertiary care. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore the importance of considering a wide range of factors in understanding dementia risk and highlight the potential utility of routinely collected clinical data for comprehensive risk assessment. Further investigation into additional variables and multi-center studies may provide deeper insights into the complex interplay of risk factors contributing to dementia onset.
ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was to validate a Yubi-wakka (finger-ring) test to identify older adults at risk for sarcopenia. Generally, measurements of muscle mass are considered to be a gold standard for testing for sarcopenia; such measurements are typically attained using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). However, the Yubi-wakka test is a simple assessment that can also be used to screen for sarcopenia. METHODS: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Yubi-wakka test. The study cohort included 230 adults older than 60 years who had no disabilities or handicaps and who visited the outpatient department of Phramongkutklao Hospital. Each participant underwent the Yubi-wakka test, a handgrip strength test, the 5-chair stand test, and BIA. We analyzed the associations between the Yubi-wakka test results and sarcopenia. The findings were compared with diagnoses that followed from the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019. RESULTS: The test results were statistically associated with sarcopenia ("just fits" odds ratio [OR]: 8.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.29-22.18, and "smaller" OR: 10.73, 95% CI: 4.31-26.73, relative to "bigger"). The sensitivity and specificity of the Yubi-wakka test in men were 85.7% and 71.2% (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.785, 95% CI: 0.618-0.952), respectively. For women, the sensitivity and specificity of the test were 87.5% and 80.8% (AUC: 0.842, 95% CI: 0.764-0.919), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Yubi-wakka test is a practical way of identifying the risk of sarcopenia among the elderly; it exhibits promising sensitivity and specificity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 263-268.
